A Little Positivity: Uniformed NYPD Officers Play Pick-Up Basketball Game With Youth To Connect With Community

The national perception of law enforcement may not be very receptive given recent officer-involved shootings and beatings across the nation. Just this week, it was revealed that cops have killed nearly 400 individuals in 2015 alone.

It’s only June.

But a viral video of two uniformed New York Police Department officers connecting with Bronx teenagers in the most unlikely of ways is worming its way into our hearts and highlighting just how simple it is to foster better relations with the community police officers serve.

All it takes is basketball…apparently.

In the short video above, originally posted to Facebook by Jay Todman, the officers are seen shooting hoops with the teenagers, laughing, and exchanging playful banter.

One of the other teens in the video, Christian Sepulveda, commented saying “they really cooked us,” with smiley faces following.

The video went viral on Facebook with over 3.7 million views and 87,000 shares.

We’re happy to see officers engaging the community and building relationships, but we only hope that officers across the nation will start to serve and respect the communities they are tasked to protect, not brutalize.